Williamson joins an exclusive group that has taken paternity leave to be with the birth of their children. According to the report, Williams called the experience “incredibly special.” Considering the missing time to see the birth of their children was once frowned upon, it is special that he was able to enjoy this moment
A Growing Trend
Earlier in the season, India was set to play Australia, a highly anticipated contest according to Betway Cricket. Despite the match between two arch-rivals, Virat Kohli decided to put his family before his profession. Kohli took paternity leave, missed the big-time matchup, and was his first child and his Bollywood wife, Anushka Sharma.
Taken from Pixabay
In India, cricket players are placed on a pedestal. Cricket is one of the most frequently played games and is considered a must-watch sport. This was a huge statement made by Kohli, skipping work for the family. Fathers are not the traditional ones to leave for domestic life. However, we are seeing more cricket players choose to be with their families
Man of the Year
Not everyone makes the same choices though. Some athletes wouldn’t want to miss a match like India vs. Pakistan for the world. Former Man of the Year Hardik Pandya recently concluded the T20I tour of Australia and reunited with his son Agastya after four months in November. Just days after the birth of his son, Pandya flew off to UAE for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Once the Mumbai Indians hoisted their fifth IPL title, he headed to Australia with the national team for the limited-overs fixtures ODIs and T20Is.
Pandya had a great cricket series in Australia, scoring 210 runs from three ODIs and 78 runs from three T20Is. He won Man of the Match twice in six games. Pandya chose work at the time but flew back home immediately after. He even posted a picture of him feeding milk to his son on social media. It all comes down to the support system in place.
Filling the Void
Williamson has missed three T20Is against West Indies, which started New Zealand’s international home summer. While Williamson was out, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips took charge of the middle. Mitchell Santer filled in as captain of the team. Williamson will be back to guide the team after missing the last couple of months and will be excited to help the team continue the gains they made.
New Zealand will look to continue to contend in the Test series and will resume play in January 2021.